The Cloverdale Lady Eagles are making the most of a rebuilding basketball campaign as they near the halfway point in the season, battling both adversity and opponents in a 4-8 start.
Like most teams, the ladies have dealt with an invisible foe, with the recent COVID surge forcing game cancellations and putting players into health protocol.
“We’re coming off a rough week, with two games canceled due to COVID protocol,” CHS coach Mac Butler reported. “We also lost some players ourselves for the week.”
County health ordinance in effect
As of this writing, a 30-day county health ordinance limiting indoor capacity at games remains at 50. With participating teams, administrators and referees being counted, this eliminates nearly all spectators from attending games. County supervisors were scheduled to meet on Jan. 19 to discuss a possible revision to the ordinance.
The Eagles were coming off a protracted layoff when they took the court on Jan. 11 against visiting St. Helena, with just six players available for the game. Not a problem, as Cloverdale took control with a 17-6 first-quarter run. The Eagles, behind the hot shooting of Tylie Hatcher and Rylee Reasoner, extended the lead in the second period, taking a 33-17 cushion into the half. Cloverdale kept its foot on the throttle in the final two periods en route to a 61-40 rout.
“The team stepped up as a whole amidst low player numbers and lack of practice time,” CHS assistant coach Natalie Pesce said. “We considered ourselves fortunate to be matched up with a rebuilding St. Helena squad.”
Hatcher led all scorers with a game-high 22 points, while Reasoner scored a career high 18 points, adding 11 rebounds and four steals. Other great efforts came from Summer Lands (17 points) and Teyla Caturegli (6 points, 5 rebounds). Maiya Fernandez came off the bench to contribute several blocks, rebounds and assists.
The ladies played host to Fort Bragg on Jan. 18 (after press time), battling the Timberwolves tooth and nail before falling in a heartbreaker, 37-35 (no stats were available.
Cloverdale (2-3, 4-8) is scheduled to visit Roseland University Prep in Santa Rosa this Saturday, Jan. 22 in a 7 p.m. varsity start, followed by a Tuesday, Jan. 25 home clash with Lower Lake (7 p.m.)
